Painting
by Tassie Taker
Summary: "It seems kind of sad, Gray… Juvia likes it, though. It reminds me of you." "You think I'm kinda sad?" "Yes. Juvia sees you look sad sometimes when you're alone. Juvia knows, Juvia feels the same way sometimes." - Gruvia Oneshot set in my Online-Offline fic AU


_A/N: Here is the first in my set of Oneshots based in my Online-Offline AU. You dont need to have read that to understand this though, there are mentions of the main story in here but nothing that will make you have to go and red the whole thing. Online-Offline can be found here s/9234044/ - its a Nalu story._

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Noise echoed from outside the walls but this didn't bother the dark haired teen that stood inside the quiet art studio, he was completely oblivious to the outside world besides the canvas he had in front of him, the paint brush in his hand moving elegantly as the image he had in his mind was given psychical form. It was a landscape, covered in snow and ice. He wasn't really sure when his fascination with the cold had started, but thought it was likely due to the last holiday he had experienced with his parents, they had taken him to the alps, skiing, snowboarding and ice-skating. It was the only time he could actually remember spending with his parents, the rest of the time he could only remember them in strange fragmented memories, some of which, he did not want to remember. Doctors had told him that it was a left over response to his post-traumatic stress, and that, in time, the memories would return in full, if he worked on it. But he didn't want to work on it, the sounds of a woman screaming and the image of a broken body covered in blood was enough for him not want to do anything to fix it. Brush stokes became more aggressive as the landscape changed from a peaceful one to a rather violent looking storm, jagged spikes of ice shooting up from the ground with sharp points as the fragments of memories started to play over in his mind, cursing himself for even thinking about his parents, it always happened when he did. He remembered barely anything from the days that followed after he had hidden under the kitchen sink like his father had told him to, one moment there had been a bloody mess in the hallway, next he was covered in a warm blanket with a kind looking police officer standing by him, and then he was in another home, one that was strange and unfamiliar. He had barely been able to remember his own name at that point, and had spent countless nights curled up under the sheets of his bed in tears. Months upon months of theory and treatments and he had been able to live like a normal human being again, even if he wasn't the same cheerful little boy he had once been. The change had pushed the first friends he had ever made away, and it had been quite some time before he had found anyone he could count as one again, now having a good circle of friends that, while he had never told them exactly what had happened, understood and never spoke about it and let him have his moments like this when he wanted nothing more than to be a alone and paint… well most of them besides a spikey pink haired nuisance that had moved up from an acquaintance to a friend, though he'd never admit that, only lately. Stepping back he took a moment to look over his work, he hadn't wanted to paint something so aggressive when he had come into the art studio during his lunch break, one of his favourite art teachers had been sitting in there and when she saw him approach she gave him a nod and a smile, stepping out to allow him his alone time. It was works like these, though, that had all of the art department fawn over him, along with some of his fellow students that had found out some of the artwork that hung around the art class rooms he had painted or drawn. He was more known for his participation in the swim and basketball teams however, it was only a small few that knew art was his real passion.

"It seems kind of sad, Gray…"

He jumped at the sound of the familiar female voice turning to look beside him to find a blue haired girl, he'd never seen her natural hair colour but he figured it must have been brown due to the regrowth she would get from time to time, her soft features were arranged in a frown, her deep blue eyes missing the sparkle they would normally have. He would never admit to _anyone_ that he had taken close notice of these things, especially not her.

"Juvia likes it, though. It reminds me of you."

"You think I'm kinda sad?"

She nodded, her circled hair bouncing as she did;

"Yes. Juvia sees you look sad sometimes when you're alone. Juvia knows, Juvia feels the same way sometimes."

She had been rushing down the hallways of the school in a rush when she had noticed the shadows in the art gallery, poking her head around the door; it was odd for someone to be inside the school at lunch if they didn't have to be. She'd been rushing to a meeting some of the sports captains had been forced to attend, another meeting about "sportsman like conduct", Magnolia High's sports teams were talented, but reckless, and known for show boating. Her breathing hitched when she noticed him standing alone in the room, facing a canvas and easel that she couldn't see the front of, his top was discarded a few feet away, and she knew he hadn't realised he had taken it off, a smear of white blue paint was across his chest, he had likely bumped himself with the brush or pallet. She loved watching him paint, he would get a look on his handsome features that wouldn't come anytime else, his dark blue eyes would seem lighter too. She knew her obsession with him was becoming like that of a stalker, she almost knew his class schedule off by heart and the path he took to walk home and what days and times he normally worked. She didn't _want_ to be obsessed with him like that, but she had no control over it. The doctors didn't know what to call whatever medical condition she suffered; she had symptoms of mild autism and had trouble speaking in the first person but had no problems connecting herself to her feelings. This had caused it to be hard for her to make friends, she had been bullied horribly as a child and it had only been when she hit high school and had a chance encounter with one of the schools known "delinquents" that people had actually started talking to her and not teasing her, perhaps in the fear that her new found friend would beat the crap out of them if they didn't. Meeting Gray had been by chance, too, she had been walking home, crossing one of the stone bridges that were dotted along the canals of Magnolia. It had been raining and the stones had become slippery and she slipped, falling over the side only to have her hand caught by a strong, and slightly cold, one. He had stayed with her for a bit, making sure she was ok and she had been instantly smitten. She'd followed him in secret for a few days before he had surprisingly turned up to join the swim team and her obsession had increased tenfold, and she knew it freaked him out, but he talked to her anyway, put up with her obsessive moments as much as he could, and she had once heard him say that he did count her as a friend.

"Yeah, I guess I am sometimes. What are you doing inside, Juvia?"

"Juvia has to go to a meeting. Oh… Juvia is late."

Gray set down the brush and pallet, stretching his back out before turning to Juvia next to him;

"I'll walk you."

Juvia felt her face turn bright red at his words, smiling and hooking her arm around his, despite his cry in protest, even if his pale face turned a little bit redder when he felt his skin meet hers.


End file.
